The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

yeovil
at War

Robert Selway
Collins

Killed in action
during the Somme
Offensive

Robert Selway
Collins was born
in Yeovil in
1889, the second
eldest son of
leather stainer
William Henry
Collins (b1867)
and Emma Jane
née Weatherley
(b1858),
originally from
Gillingham.
William and Emma
were to have
eight children;
William Stearn
(1888-1956),
Robert, Henry
Rodwell (b1890),
George (b1894),
Emily Louise
(b1900), Albert
Edward (b1903),
Florrie (b1906)
and John Alfred
Charles
(1910-1976).

In the 1891
census William
and Emma were
living at 5
Camborne Street
with their three
eldest sons and
William's two
brothers-in-law.
By 1901 the
family had moved
to Trowbridge,
Wiltshire, where
William worked
as a fishmonger
and chimney
sweep. By 1911
the family had
moved again, to
31 Hurford
Street,
Pwllywaun,
Pontypridd,
South Wales.
William and his
four eldest
sons, including
Robert, were all
working as coal
miners.

In the summer
of 1911 Robert
married Emma
Matilda Clements
(1893-1967) in
Glamorganshire.
They were to
have a son
Richard
(1913-1913) and
two daughters.

Robert
enlisted as a
Private in the
18th (2nd
Glamorgan) Battalion,
the Welsh
Regiment at
Pontypridd. It
is not known
when he
enlisted, but
his Service
Number 28512
suggests it was
at the beginning
of 1916.

The battalion
had been raised
in January 1915
as a Bantam
Battalion and
went to
Porthcawl
attached to 43rd
Division. In the
first week of
June 1916 the
battalion landed
in France and
concentrated
near Lillers,
going into the
front line near
Loos. Within
weeks they were
involved in the
Battle of the
Somme.

The Battle of
the Somme, also
known as the
Somme Offensive,
was a battle of
the First World
War fought by
the armies of
the British and
French empires
against the
German Empire.

It took place
between 1 July
and 18 November
1916 on both
sides of the
upper reaches of
the River Somme
in France. The
battle was
intended to
hasten a victory
for the Allies
and was the
largest battle
of the First
World War on the
Western Front.
More than one
million men were
wounded or
killed, making
it one of the
bloodiest
battles in human
history.

The battle is
notable for the
importance of
air power and
the first use of
the tank. At the
end of the
battle, British
and French
forces had
penetrated 10 km
(6 mi) into
German-occupied
territory,
taking more
ground than in
any of their
offensives since
the Battle of
the Marne in
1914. On 26
October 1916 Robert
Collins was
killed in action
during the
day-to-day
trench warfare
of the Somme
Offensive. He
was aged 27.

Robert was
buried in
Philosophe
British
Cemetery,
Mazingarbe, Pas
de Calais,
France, Grave
I.H.27. His name
was added to the
War Memorial
in the
Borough in
2018.

gallery

British troops
in a trench
during the Somme
Offensive. 1916.

Part of the
Somme
battlefield.
1916.

The
Commonwealth
War Graves
Commission
certificate
in memory of
Robert
Collins.

Philosophe
British
Cemetery,
Mazingarbe,
Pas de
Calais,
France

The cemetery
was started
in August
1915. In
1916 it was
taken over
by the 16th
(Irish)
Division,
who held the
Loos Salient
at the time,
and many of
their dead
were brought
back to the
cemetery
from the
front line.
Succeeding
divisions
used the
cemetery
until
October
1918, and
men of the
same
Division,
and often
the same
battalion,
were buried
side by
side. After
the
Armistice,
this
cemetery was
one of those
used for the
concentration
of isolated
graves from
the Loos
battlefield.
There are
now 1,996
Commonwealth
burials of
the First
World War in
the
cemetery,
277 of them
unidentified.
The cemetery
was designed
by Sir
Herbert
Baker.

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